Dr Ciara Kelly: ‘The right have risen in a way we haven’t seen since before World War II’

Dr Ciara Kelly: ‘The right have risen in a way we haven’t seen since before World War II’

‘The left is ceding power because it is too busy arguing over semantics’

I originally wanted to discuss how the right will rise if those politically opposed to their ideology don’t do more to stop them. But then I realised that that ship has sailed. The right have risen – in a way we haven’t seen since before World War II – so the issue isn’t that the right will rise, but is how far they’ll rise this time?

Down the years I’ve had many lazy, abstract, dinner party conversations about how Hitler came to power. How a normal, functional, decent German society turned – in a short space of time – into one that dehumanised so many; but also elevated the strong, successful Aryan into an elite that were beyond reproach irrespective of their actions?

In many ways the 1930s were of greater historical importance than the 1940s. The 1940s were the war years but back in the 1930s it wasn’t yet set in stone that Europe had to burn. Yet burn it did.

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